Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I had a bit of writer's block trying to pull the story to a close. x0; Eep. But anyways, here it is. The next chapter should be the last. Please review:)

THIRTEEN

Despite Daniel's intentions to bring up last night's conversation with Jack in the morning, he just couldn't do it when he saw how miserable Jack was, sitting on a bed in the infirmary while Janet ran some tests. The archaeologist watched with a faint wince of sympathy as his friend's finger was pricked with a needle so Fraiser could check his blood sugar. Standing by, out of the way, Daniel found a swivel chair near the door and sat down.

Checking the glucose meter in her palm, Janet leaned over a medical tray and made a notation on Jack's chart, then set the meter down and smiled at him. "Well, your glucose levels are all back to normal, so we won't have to keep a close eye on that anymore. You should be okay now," Janet told him.

Jack shifted slightly on the bed as Fraiser strapped a blood pressure cuff to his upper right arm. "What's making me dizzy then?"

Janet began pumping the little rubber ball that caused the cuff to squeeze Jack's arm. "I have a hunch now, but I just want to make sure with this last test..." She examined the dial as the needle spun and the pressure slowly released. Her patient was raising an eyebrow in question at her by this point. "Mm-hm," Janet murmured to herself, nodding and pulling the cuff off Jack's arm. "Your blood pressure's low, and that's what's causing the dizzy spells. Now I've already tested your blood volume, and you're fine there, so I'm almost certain now that your medication caused the drop."

Nodding, Jack shifted on the bed again. "So now what?"

Knowing that he wasn't going to like her answer, Janet made a face and took a deep breath. "Now I have to run a few more tests, and you're going to stay here and rest for a bit while I wait for the results."

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Jack groaned dramatically. He looked himself up and down briefly, still dressed in sweats and a t-shirt that he'd worn to bed. "Hey Doc, can I atleast shower if I'm stuck here?"

Janet picked up his chart again and studied him for a long moment. "Alright. I suppose it's best you take one here anyway. Atleast if you get dizzy you can hit the panic button in the shower and my nurses will be right there," she said, laying a hand on Jack's knee. "I'll have one of my staff check your stitches when you're done, too."

Jack huffed slightly and rolled his eyes. "Yippee," he grumped sarcastically.

Daniel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, keeping silent. He smiled at Janet as she passed him and left to get Jack's test results and speak to her nurses.

-

Sam was heading into the infirmary to discuss some of her lab results from an off-world plant sample with Janet when she first spotted Daniel perched in a chair by the open door. He was flipping through a National Geographic magazine and looking rather bored, not even noticing her until she tapped his shoulder. "Hey," she greeted softly, catching something out of the corner of her eye and seeing that Jack occupied one of the infirmary beds. "What's going on?" Her voice wavered slightly with concern.

"Oh," Daniel sat straighter and glanced toward the infirmary bed where Jack was sound asleep, curled up on his left side with his broken arm outstretched so the cast was out of the way. "He's just resting," the archaeologist assured her, recognizing that the machines hooked up to Jack to monitor his blood pressure and heart-rate might appear a bit worrysome to Sam. "Last night he got up in the middle of the night and had a dizzy spell, so I gave Janet a call this morning when he was still a bit dizzy, and she said to bring him down for some tests," he explained further.

"Has she found anything out yet?" Sam asked quietly, still looking in the Colonel's direction.

Daniel nodded, then stood as he explained. "Janet was just in a little while ago to adjust his medication. The stuff Jack was on before caused his blood pressure to drop and that's what was making him light-headed." He followed Sam as she moved beside their friend's bed, and spoke more quietly. "He's just had a shower and changed before Janet came back with the results, and she wanted him to rest for awhile before we headed back to my house."

"And he didn't complain?" Sam asked suspicously, raising both eyebrows at Daniel as she pulled a chair by the head of the bed and took a seat.

"Oh, he did," Daniel crossed his arms, a half smile on his face. "But he was really too tired to protest for long. Jack was asleep in no time."

Sam smiled a little and reached over the bed to gently take Jack's right hand. She didn't care that Daniel was there; he already knew her feelings for Jack and she didn't care about having to hide in front of him right now. She was done hiding or ignoring her feelings, and knew that it was about time she let the man she loved know the truth, no matter the cost.

Seeing that Sam appeared deep in thought and could use a moment alone, he quickly thought up a plausible excuse to leave when his stomach growled loudly. "Hey Sam, uh, I'm gonna head up to the commissary to grab something to eat. Do you mind...?"

"I'll stay," she answered quietly and automatically without even turning around. Sam didn't even hear the archaeologist leave. She began rubbing her thumb over Jack's hand and smiled warmly when his hand faintly squeezed hers and he opened his eyes. His sleepy, adorable expression warmed her heart, and her blue eyes shimmered with her smile. "Hi Jack," she said quietly, belatedly realizing she was being informal and not bothering to correct herself.

"Hi Sam," he murmured tiredly, mimicking her greeting.

"Daniel told me what was going on," she ignored his roll of the eyes and leaned a little closer. Their hands were still linked. "How are you feeling?"

His eyebrows rose and he grinned, squeezing her hand tighter. "Better," Jack slowly and reluctantly released her hand as he shifted on the bed and pushed himself into a sitting position. The conversation he'd had with Daniel the other night came up in his head, reminding him of his thoughts to himself while highly drugged up, earlier that same evening. He remembered wanting to find some way to tell her how he felt, and although this wasn't the most ideal setting, Jack decided it had to be now.

Seeing that Jack appeared deep in thought as though he were posed to say something significant, Sam sat straighter in her chair, waiting patiently.

"Carter," he started quietly, brows furrowed in serious thought as strong, unshielded emotion shone in his eyes, "I'm tired..."

Sam hung her head and tried to hide the disappointed look on her face. She cursed herself for hoping that he was about to say something more meaningful; the words she truly wanted to hear; words that matched her feelings for him. Taking in a steady breath, she was about to make an excuse to leave when she heard Jack exhale softly and begin to speak again.

"I'm tired of pretending the rules and regulations can dictate how I feel about you," Jack whispered in a deep, emotional voice. He exhaled loudly, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from him now that the words were out. When Carter's head jerked up in surprise, her blue eyes wide and staring back at him with love and the same longing in his own eyes, Jack grinned.

Her expression shifted to one that was more wary and her delicate brows knit together. "Sir..." she nearly choked out the word, wanting to say his name so badly. Sam knew she loved him, and she wanted what he was saying to be true, but she had to be sure. She wouldn't allow her heart to be broken. "Are-are you sure this isn't just the drugs speaking here?"

Jack's smile faltered, but the love in his eyes never wavered. "I'm sure Sam," He deliberately used her name, hoping to get his point across. "I love you, and I have for a long time. It's just taken me awhile to get this far," Jack sent her a dopey grin, and she smiled in return.

She leaned closer and laid her hand over the blue cast on his broken arm, unable to reach the other one. "So...you're willing... I mean you want to... You'd be okay if we...acted on our feelings? Actually crossed that line?" Sam stumbled over the words as she realized what she'd wanted for so long was going to finally be possible.

"Yep," Jack gave a short nod, his expression uncertain for a moment. "If you want to Sam," he added hopefully, gazing at her with warm, adoring brown eyes.

Sam swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat and smiled, her eyes watery with happiness. "I want to Jack, I really want to."

"Great," Jack grinned with boyish enthusiasm and a hint of mischief. "Now tell Danny I'm not staying at his house anymore," He was looking at Sam hopefully, pleading her not to make him go back with Daniel, silently asking if she would take him in.

Nodding with a small smile, Sam could read between the lines easily enough. "I'm not sure Janet wants you home by yourself yet," she hesitated slightly, still a little bit in awe that she and Jack were finally going to have the relationship they'd longed for. "I'd be willing to take you in though. Jack," she smiled at him.

Grinning, Jack shifted slowly on the bed and swung his legs over the side. He was wearing a grey Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt that clung to his lean frame, and black sweatpants. Eyeing the wires and monitor leads attached to him with disdain, Jack fumbled to remove the unnecessary equipment with his one good arm, trying to dismantle the wires that snaked beneath the neck of his t-shirt.

Sam laughed quietly and gave him the extra hand he needed. She shut off the machines and sent him a wry smile. "I hope you know that Janet's going to come barging in here when the machines at the nurses station tell her that your monitors have been unplugged.

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes, then sat straighter and waved a hand in the air. "Good. Then I can tell her that I'm leaving," he announced. He just hoped she'd come quick before his remaining energy was completely deflated and she decided he couldn't go.

Pushing her chair back, Sam got to her feet and sat herself on the bed beside Jack, on his right. She took his hand, aware that there could be base personnel around to catch them at any moment. "We can probably talk about this later," she began quietly, "But what are we going to do about...those much hated regulations? I mean, I don't want you to have to retire, and I'd rather not resign myself, so...?"

Squeezing her hand, Jack tilted his head to the side a little and smiled at her reassuringly. "I'll have a talk with Hammond," he took a slow breath. "I'll let him know we haven't exactly crossed that line yet, but I'll also tell him that we'd both like to keep our positions on SG-1 and be able to have a relationship too." Jack smirked briefly. "I believe the President owes me a favor my now," He glanced sideways at Sam again. "Owes us a favor actually. I mean, we have saved the world once or twice."

Sam laughed softly and twisted sideways, dropping her forehead to his shoulder. She frowned suddenly, her voice a soft whisper. "What if they turn us down?"

Jack raised his arm and lovingly wrapped it around her shoulders. He turned his face into Sam's hair and kissed the top of her head. "I'll retire if I have to," he whispered into her hair. "I don't want to lose this,"

Smiling with a slight sniffle, Sam raised her head off his shoulder and looked into his dark eyes. "Me neither." The approaching tap of heel-clad feet alerted her that Janet was approaching, and she sat straighter as Jack's arm fell away from her shoulders.

If Janet was surprised to see Jack and Sam sitting cozily side-by-side on the bed when she entered the infirmary, she hid it well. Planting her hands on her hips, she shot a withering glare at the Colonel before gathering up his discarded wiring. "I assume this is your subtle way of telling me you believe you're fit to leave my infirmary, Colonel?" Fraiser had a dangerous smile, but her eyes were twinkling with mirth.

Responding with a wry grin, Jack nodded. "Yep." He shifted slightly so that his feet were more firmly planted on the ground and he was more leaning on the bed than sitting on it. It was a more discrete way to test that he wouldn't suffer a dizzy spell, and his legs weren't going to buckle under his weight. "You wanted me to rest before I left. I'm rested, now can I go?"

Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Janet rolled her eyes and dropped her arms by her sides. Her gaze flicked to Sam briefly, and she noticed her friend's cheeks were a faint shade of pink and she appeared to be trying to hide a face-splitting grin. Smiling to herself, Janet focused back on the Colonel and gave a nod. "Alright, you can leave." Janet reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a little orange pill bottle. She handed them to Jack and explained while he eyed the label critically. "That's the new medication I've had you on since the results came back. You shouldn't suffer any effects from low blood pressure as long as you take these as prescribed. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Smirking, Jack went to tuck the bottle in a non-existent pocket, catching his error when Sam placed her hand over his briefly before taking the pills from him. He nodded at her and turned back to the doctor that still stood before them.

"Want me to go let Daniel know you're ready to head out?" Janet asked as she finished checking the machines and putting away monitor wires.

Jack glanced sideways at Sam and opened his mouth to tell Janet that he wouldn't be going home with Daniel, when Sam hurriedly interrupted.

"I'll go," she said quickly with a calm smile in Janet's direction. Sam turned to Jack with a meaningful look that said, I'll explain things to Daniel. He seemed to understand, as he gave a short nod, and she hopped to her feet before leaving somewhat hurriedly.

Still leaning against the infirmary bed, more or less standing completely upright, Jack shifted uncomfortably under Janet's scrutiny. She seemed to be trying to figure out what had just happened, and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat as he realized she probably could see what was going on. Atleast a little bit.

Janet's gaze shifted to Jack's chart when she realized she was making him uncomfortable. "I'll go get you something to take your other clothes home in," she smiled knowingly to herself before setting the chart down and turning to leave. "And I want you to rest when you get to Daniel's Colonel, that's an order," she called back.

"Yes ma'am," Jack grunted after her with a sloppy salute at the doctor's departure. He grinned to himself and sat back down on the bed before he fell over. The last of his energy reserves were pretty much spent, and he wished Sam would hurry it up getting back to him so he could go home.

-

It didn't take long for Sam to explain her and Jack's situation to Daniel. The archaeologist smiled broadly at her and got up from his seat in the commissary with a quiet, "It's about time,"

Sam smiled bashfully, her cheeks reddening slightly in embarassment. "You can't rush these things Daniel," she said quietly in defense as they stepped into the hall.

Still smiling ridiculously, Daniel gave Sam's shoulder a gentle pat. "I guess not." He kept quiet on their walk to the infirmary, forcing himself to stop grinning like a madman before they reached Janet. He had a feeling the smart doctor would already know something was up between Major Carter and the Colonel, but he supposed that since she was Sam's best friend, Fraiser wasn't about to blurt anything while they were on base.

Stepping into the infirmary, Sam saw Jack sitting on the bed and pulling on his sneakers that Daniel had brought for him. A plastic bag with his other clothes and infirmary slippers in it sat on the bed beside him. She could see that he couldn't tie his shoes with the awkward cast on his left arm, and wanted to go to his side and help, but knew she couldn't. Moving closer, she caught the brief look of frustration on his face as he decided to leave the sneakers untied. Then his dark eyes shifted to greet her and he gave a faint smile which she returned, albeit somewhat hesitantly as she remembered Janet and Daniel in the room.

Janet glanced toward Daniel and Sam briefly before her attention turned to Jack. She smiled kindly at him and nodded. "Got the pills I gave you?"

When Jack patted his non-existent pockets, he remembered Sam had took them from him and looked over at her for help. "Uh.."

"Oh, right, I've got the pills right here," Sam pulled the little orange container from her own pocket and shook it with an affirmative nod toward Jack.

"Okay, well as long as someone has them. You're free to go Colonel," Janet watched Jack eagerly grab his things with a nod and slowly walk toward the door with Sam and Daniel, his untied laces tapping softly against the floor tiles as he moved.

Jack was both eager and nervous to talk with the General about his impending relationship with Sam, but that was for another day. He'd have a little more time to think about exactly what to say until then. Maybe Sam could help. She was much better with words than he was, Jack thought with a crooked grin.

-

Jack spent the next week at home with Sam staying with him, and they took the opportunity just to spend time with each other. They'd indulged themselves in kisses, gentle touches, and snuggling, but hadn't gone much further than that. Jack was still recovering from his injuries, and he and Sam both weren't willing to cross that line quite yet until Jack had a chance to speak with Hammond. He didn't want to have to lie to the man. He respected the General too much for that, and Hammond trusted his word implicitly. There was no way Jack was going to break that trust.

As their week together came to an end, Jack had been able to slowly stop taking the pills Janet had prescribed for him, but the cast on his left arm would have to stay on for atleast another two weeks. However, SG-1 had all requested to go to the planet where they'd sent the refugees from P8Y-974 to see how they were settling in and bring in a few supplies, and although Jack wasn't cleared for duty yet, Hammond had granted them permission to go.

Having just left the infirmary after his pre-mission check with Janet, as he'd been ordered if he wanted to go off-world, Jack was on his way to meet the rest of SG-1 in the gear-up room. On his way down in the elevator, Jack was surprised to see General Hammond step inside the car with him. "Sir," he nodded toward his commanding officer respectfully, trying to prevent the anxious shifting of his feet that he wanted to do so badly. The look the General was giving him made Jack think he knew something about him and Sam already.

"Colonel," Hammond send him a short nod in return. "Come with me a moment son, would you? Before you head off with SG-1 I'd like to speak with you in my office,"

It wasn't a request, it was an order and Jack knew it. "Yes sir," He agreed as the elevator went down further. Jack swore he could feel his stomach lurching into his throat in time with the elevator car's movements. So many things were running through his mind at once, and he feared that Hammond was going to tell him something he seriously did not want to hear right now.

When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Hammond swiftly exited and headed down the hall toward his office, not waiting to see if Jack was following.

-